Teaching Philosophy

 All children can learn and I realize and understand that each student is an individual that learns at different rates and ways. I believe that with high expectations my students will learn how to rise to the occasion in both the classroom and in life. I understand that as an educator, I will be a constant example to my students and because of this, I will always have a plan, I will always be prepared and speak and conduct myself with purpose. I will always be invested in my student’s well-being and success and share my passion for the subject I am teaching. My job as an educator is to open doors, to find potential in my students and guide it to fruition, to inspire my students by bonding with them and letting them know that I am their advocate. My purpose as an educator is to act as a resource for them in the artistic field(s), for life and work, for school, and to provide a safe learning environment.

 

Art is a refined form of communication, and like all forms of communication, it is intrinsic to what it means to be human. This communication can be implemented as a tool that assists in the solidification of concepts and the increased learning opportunity of an artist with his/her subject and audience.  Art, much like the written language itself communicates, it enhances thoughts/ideas/concepts and improves how the artist interacts with their pieces’ subject/self/audience and is an essential key to success in the modern era for hundreds of reasons. Art is a form of communication the breaches all barriers. Art intrinsically instills in those who practice it the ability to problem solve and to become creative in both thought, emotion, and sense of self. These aspects of art are why the process of learning about and making art is essential for students to succeed not only in art but in life.

 

As an art educator, I hope to teach my students the ability to problem solve, create, reflect, refine, and communicate artistic concepts, and to instill in them the ability to receive, understand and implement constructive criticism using said artistic concepts. I will teach my students these concepts by implementing a discipline-based artistic curriculum which includes the four domains of art: art history, art criticism, art aesthetics, and art production. I believe that writing in response to the critique process via aesthetic scanning of art in my future classroom along with cooperative learning techniques will be an essential aspect of my student’s learning process. In each of these, social and emotional learning will be forefront in all of my projects/assignments.

 

To do this, my students must understand the sensory aspect of art: how value, texture, color, space, line, shape, and value affect a piece. They must also understand the formal aspects of art, which include movement, rhythm, balance, proportion, emphasis, variety, and unity of a piece. My students will know how to scan a piece for its technical and expressive qualities and share these both verbally and through writing. I will teach these things because it will teach them the essential skills needed in the modern work environment regardless of whether or not the environment is in an artistic field. Because art is a skill, I will teach them how to develop a skill: which can apply to more than just art! These skills include positive interdependence, individual and group accountability, face to face interactive skills, interpersonal skills, and how to be an effective group member. Writing and other across the curriculum aspects such as speech and chemistry will be implemented in my classes as a tool for both me and my students as it will solidify concepts and skills that I seek to impart to my future learners and act as a way for me to assess my students grasp of what I teach.